Row over bus to surgery in Peppard ward

The party wrangling in Peppard ward has now gone down a new route and led to a scrap over a bus.

When all the councillors in Peppard were Conservatives, a ReadiBus was booked for them to hold their ward surgery.

Now two of the councillors are independents – having quit the party – so the council had to step in as referee and cancel the bus, advising them all to make alternative arrangements.

Outraged, the two newly independent councillors – Jamie Chowdhary, now up for re-election, and Mark Ralph – thought the remaining Tory in the ward Councillor Richard Willis had bagged the bus for his own use. But Cllr Willis has assured getreading he was approached by the council. He said: “I’m perfectly happy with what the council has done. It couldn’t go ahead as it was.”

Cllr Ralph announced his decision to quit the Conservatives and become an independent councillor last Tuesday. He said: “Since my first election in 2004 as the only Conservative councillor in Peppard ward, I have held a surgery every month, for the past eight years, setting the dates, requesting the ReadiBus – as well as putting up posters and distributing fliers.

“Following the elections of Cllrs Chowdhary and Willis, there have been only two surgeries that I have not attended. I understand our surgery is one of the best attended in Reading and Jamie and I value them as another point of contact with our residents.”

Reading Borough Council spokesman Oscar Mortali said: “Ward surgeries are booked a year in advance and notices of up-and-coming weekend ward surgeries are sent to media and placed on the council website at the start of every week.

“On April 10 the Councillor Services Team were informed by Cllr Ralph that he had resigned from the Conservative Party and was from that date an Independent councillor.

“Notices advertising a ‘Conservative councillor’ ward surgery for Peppard ward had however already been advertised at this point.

“Both Conservative and Independent councillors are claiming eligibility to hold their respective surgeries at this time and venue, which is not tenable. The councillor services team has therefore asked both Cllr Willis (Conservative) and Cllr Ralph (Independent) for definitive guidance. As it stands no consensus has been agreed so the ward surgery has been cancelled.”

In the end Cllr Ralph and Mr Chowdhary held their surgery sitting outside the Bite Cafe in Emmer Green. Cllr Ralph said: “It was very successful.”